Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensaries may seek new life as delivery services

While authorities are crying foul about marijuana delivery services, many of the Los Angeles dispensaries forced to close to comply with the new city ordinance could be seeking to remain in business as delivery services.

Our Los Angeles medical marijuana attorneys continue to fight on behalf of dispensaries forced to close as a result of the Los Angeles city ordinance that arbitrarily closes 400 businesses while permitting another 100 to remain open. Meanwhile, the San Jose Mercury News reports a flourishing business is being done among pot delivery services. The services bring medical marijuana directly to patients.

Hundreds of these mobile dispensaries are cropping up in advertisements and on the Internet. Some are using regular mail service, while others utilize private prescription-drug couriers.

“These delivery services are starting to grab more and more market share,” said Allen St. Pierre, director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, which advocates legalization. The delivery services are becoming more popular, particularly in areas where dispensaries are not established or have been banned by local ordinances. The Mercury News reports a total of 758 delivery services were advertised on Weedmaps.com in April, triple the number available 18 months ago and up 39 percent since February.

More than half of the couriers advertise services in the Los Angeles area — where the number of services has jumped from 110 to 161 since February.

A total of 129 cities and nine California counties have banned medical marijuana dispensaries. The bans have led to flourishing delivery services. Yet authorities have been unable to point to legal guidelines that address delivery of marijuana by courier or mail.

Weedmaps reports that many of the dispensaries forced to close because of the Los Angeles ordinance are in the process of rebranding themselves as delivery services.

Opponents contend that delivery violates a number of laws, including the 1996 Compassionate Use Act that legalized medical marijuana for qualified patients in California.
The CANNABIS LAW GROUP is a law firm dedicated to the rights of medical marijuana patients, collectives and growers and has built a reputation for high-powered, aggressive legal representation of the medical marijuana industry in Southern California. Call 714-937-2050 for a confidential consultation to discuss your rights.